‘Considering his position’

One of the party’s MEPs said Mr Bolton, 54, should step aside “quickly”, calling him a “naive political lightweight” whose personal life was distracting from policy.

West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge said he was not commenting on Mr Bolton’s private life but said the party had had “nothing but bad publicity” recently.

He cited several other complaints including a rise in membership fees, adding that Mr Bolton did not have the “experience or the political nous or the correct advice to deal with the issue that he faces”.

“He must go, he must go quickly, he must go as quietly as possible,” he said.